The Only Exception
by KellyCRocker59
Summary: There comes the point in every couple's relationship where the meeting of the parents must occur. Holden just isn't sure he's ready for that...


The Only Exception

By: KellyCRocker59

Man, I have missed these two. I'm sorry it has been so long; I hope this is good! Enjoy and please please PLEASE boost my motivation by REVIEWING! I see all you out there favoriting but not reviewing; PLEASE do both. It helps me immensely!

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"They're going to love you, so stop worrying."

Sean's hand finding his, holding it in his lap, calmed Holden's nerves slightly. But his eyes were still just a bit unfocused and his ears were still just a bit red. These weren't just any parents, these were _Sean's_ parents. Sean, the man he had been with for three years. The man he planned on spending his life with. The man who had come out of the closet for him on national television. The man whose parents had found out that their son was gay the same way all of America had.

"I've never met a boyfriend's parents before." Holden muttered, gripping Sean's hand tightly in his, fingertips running along rough calluses nervously.

"Well neither have I. But my parents really want to meet you, Holden. And as long as you're yourself, they'll love you."

"I thought you said they were really conservative, were always pestering you about bringing a nice girl home?" Holden asked, turning to study the other man's face.

"Yeah, they did. But then, after I came out, my mom called me one day when you were away for business and we had a really good talk. She can't wait to meet my sexy, smart, sophisticated boyfriend." Sean said, not taking his eyes off the road but smiling brightly.

Holden blushed, "I hope I don't let her down."

"Trust me, you won't. I'm sure I didn't do you enough justice."

Sean turned onto a road that led even deeper into the countryside. Holden had never been in a rural area for a prolonged period of time, and their current surrounding would have fascinated him, had his head not been full of the various terrible scenarios that he was sure would play out over their dinner.

Finally, they reached a nice homely house, not too large, but two stories and proof that Sean's parents were of the upper middle class. Sean parked the Hummer in front of the house, cut the engine, and they both sat there.

Sean turned to Holden, attempting to gain a smile but granting one of his own.

"I love you." He said, and Holden smiled, turning toward the football player.

"I love you too. I just hope your parents feel the same way."  
"Yeah, well I'm not too excited to meet yours either."

"My parents practically already _know_ you, Sean. My dad is obsessed with football. You could show up to their house in a trashcan and they would think Jesus was walking the earth again."

Sean laughed a full, deep sound that filled Holden's ears. Then he opened his door. Holden tightened his grip on Sean's hand and he turned back to look at his horrified boyfriend, still frozen in his seat.

"Come on, Holden, we have to go inside."

"Maybe just a few more minutes?" Holden proposed.

Sean chuckled and pulled their hands apart, closing his door and walking around the vehicle to Holden's side, pulling the door open. Holden sighed, and when Sean offered his hand, he took it, weaving their fingers together.

"You're going to be great." Sean said, and Holden nodded, as though it would help to cement the words into his mind.

They walked up the stairs and Sean knocked on the door. It opened almost immediately to reveal an older woman with brunette hair that fell to her shoulders, tan complexion accented by the simple white dress she wore.

"Sean! We were worried that you two would never make it."

She gave them only a brief period to enter the house before she threw her arms around her son, hugging him tight. Sean returned the embrace, hand unlocking from Holden's. She then turned to Holden, granting him a bright smile that was saturated with sincerity.

"Mom, this is Holden…" Sean began.

"You are just too adorable!" She cried, pulling him into her arms.

Holden hugged her back and felt a sweeping relief overwhelm him. His own mother rarely embraced him like this. She pulled back but kept her hands on his forearms, looking at him.

"Sean did not do you justice! You look like a guy off of one of those _GQ_ magazines I read at the dentist's office!"

"Thank you; you look very lovely, ma'am." Holden replied, controlling his blush and instead attempting a smile.

"No, no; you call me Mom. You're part of this family, regardless of what the government says!" She replied, patting his arm.

Then, a man who looked about the same age as Sean's mom walked in from the hallway. He was a foreboding figure, standing the same height as Sean but bulkier. His similarly tan complexion went well with his dark hair, and he wore a neutral expression on his face.

"Hey, Dad; this is Holden."

The man walked over, looking Holden up and down.

"Ever since that day, I wondered what kind of guy Sean was going to bring home. Thank God you don't dress like a girl."

Then, just as Holden was deciphering the comment, he was pulled into a tight embrace, Sean's dad patting him firmly on the back. Holden returned it, and the hug was over quickly.

"It looks like my son has good taste." He said with a smile.

"Thank you, sir."

"That's Dad to you." He replied, grinning widely the way Sean did.

Holden immediately felt as though he belonged here, with this family.

"Well, dinner is ready; let's eat!" Sean's mom said, walking into the dining room.

The three men followed, and when Holden went to help carry dishes in from the kitchen, Sean's dad turned to him.

"I don't think so, Son. You're our guest; have a seat."

Holden nodded, taking a seat as Sean brought in the first dish, giving Holden a big smile. Holden wasn't sure Sean even expected things to go this well.

After two trips per Jackson family member, the table was set and everyone was sitting, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson across from one another and Holden and Sean similarly seated. However, before anyone began to get food, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson reached for the other two's hands. Holden complied, and followed their lead, bowing his head.

"Dear God," Mrs. Jackson began, "thank you for this food, thank you for blessing us with an amazing son, and thank you for bringing such an amazing man into his life. May you give them love, joy and peace for all their lives. Amen."

"Amen." They all repeated, and then it the prayer was finished.

While Holden was a religious man, he wasn't sure how Sean's parents would be. However, he was deeply relieved that they shared a similar belief as him toward homosexuality and God. They all got food from the various dishes, Mrs. Jackson having prepared turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, jell-o salad and rolls.

"So, Holden, what do you do for a living?" Mr. Jackson asked.

"I'm work with real estate across the country." Holden replied.

"Selling property?"  
"Yeah; I really enjoy helping people find homes that are perfect for them, you know?"

Sean's dad nodded. "It's nice to see that you aren't just living off of Sean's money."

Holden shook his head. "I'm not sure I could do that. I mean, that would be an uneven relationship."

Mr. Jackson nodded, and Holden believed he had the other man's approval.

"Do you go to Sean's games, Holden?" Mrs. Jackson asked.

"Yeah, when I can. I mean, I just recently started going since he made everything public. The other football player's wives were all very welcoming."

"Well that's nice to hear. You never really know how other people will react to that sort of thing. People can be so set in an uneducated view that they don't think to consider anything else."

Holden nodded, "Yeah, I was kind of nervous, but I was pleasantly surprised."

"You haven't slept with any of them have you?" Mr. Jackson asked suddenly.

"Dad!" Sean exclaimed, choking a bit on his food.

"No, I haven't." Holden replied, chuckling.

"Sorry, you both just seem so…straight to me." Mr. Jackson replied.

"Eric…" Mrs. Jackson trailed off in warning.

"No, it's fine. I…I know a lot of people think that. I've told people and they've been like 'what, no you're not, you act like a guy.' It's just what the media has skewed gay lifestyle as being for so long, and the most vocal gay individuals are the ones that fit every stereotype. There are a lot of people out there that think gay men have to like pop music and fashion and wearing women's clothing."

"And that's why our son is making history." Mr. Jackson added, smiling at his son.

Sean turned a bit red at his father's pride, and continued eating.

"We would love to come to a game sometime and sit with you, Holden." Mrs. Jackson said.

"Yeah, that would be nice. I have to warn you though, I get a little…"

"He gets really intense." Sean finished, looking up to smile at Holden.

"Really? I can't picture that." Mrs. Jackson replied.

"Well, I don't exactly know anything about football, but whenever Sean gets tackled or gets called out or anything like that…"

"The other players have told me that the wives have to hold him down sometimes from running down to talk to the referee." Sean said.

"Yeah, I'm really…competitive." Holden said, looking down at his plate.

"Oh, really? Then we simply have to play Catch Phrase after dinner." Mrs. Jackson said excitedly.

"Catch Phrase?" Holden asked.

"It's kind of a family tradition. You'll get the hang of it fast." Sean explained.

"But don't expect to win, Son. Christina and I have never lost a game of Catch Phrase." Mr. Jackson said.

"Oh, well then I guess you may need to take a breather after our match, because you've never played a game against me." Holden replied, smiling.

"I'll take that challenge." He replied.

They finished eating and cleaned everything up (with the exception of Holden, who was forced to wait in the living room). Then, Sean's mom retrieved Catch Phrase from a cabinet, and they all took seats in the living room. The small device was to be passed around between the four of them, and Holden got used to it quickly, shouting hints as to what word Sean was supposed to guess hoarsely within five minutes of starting the game.

After seven rounds of the game, Sean and Holden were forced to call it quits, realizing that with a score of 5 to 2, they weren't going to win. After a bit of friendly gloating from Mr. Jackson, Mrs. Jackson headed into the kitchen, grabbing a cake that was being warmed in the oven and slicing it.

They all stood to get a piece; it was chocolate, which happened to be everyone's favorite. Mr. and Mrs. Jackson took a seat beside one another on the couch, bodies lingering close to one another. Sean sat down on the love seat, and when Holden went to sit a normal distance from him on the piece of furniture, Sean reached out and pulled the smaller man toward him, shoulders touching as they ate.

"So you two are spending the night, right?" Mrs. Jackson asked.

"Well, we weren't planning to…" Sean began.

"But you must! I got out fresh sheets and everything for your bed. It's too long of a drive back to your house." She replied.

"Thank you so much…Mom. We don't have anything important to do tomorrow anyway." Holden replied, smiling.

She returned the smile brightly, and stood, grabbing everyone's empty plates and putting them in the dishwasher before returning to her seat. Mr. Jackson turned on the television to the nightly news before putting an arm around his wife, the woman leaning against him.

Sean pulled Holden closer now, back pressed to chest. Holden leaned against him, the familiar position immediately soothing as the food settled in his stomach. He leaned his head against Sean's shoulder, and Sean's fingers ran gently along his arm.

After about an hour, it was getting late. Mrs. Jackson stood before speaking.

"Well, I don't know about you boys, but I'm exhausted. I think it's time for bed."

Holden nodded and stood, Sean immediately following him with his hand against the small of the other man's back. Mr. Jackson stood as his wife took turns hugging both boys.

"We will see you both in the morning." She said, and Mr. Jackson nodded before they allowed the two men to walk back toward the stairs in the hallway.

"It was nice meeting you, Holden." Mr. Jackson called.

Holden turned, smiling at the older man.

"It was great meeting you too, Dad."

"So, I'm hoping you had a good time?" Sean asked, wrapping a towel around his waist as he walked into his old bedroom.

"Yeah, you're parents….Sean, you're parents are amazing." Holden replied, climbing into the queen size bed, under the sheets in his boxers.

"I know…I don't know why I had any doubts about telling them who I was."

"It's a hard thing to do; I'm sure they don't blame you for waiting so long. Now come on, I'm cold under here without you."

Sean chuckled, pulling his boxers on quickly, towel forgotten on the ground, before he climbed into bed. He settled against the seats, pulling Holden forward so that they were chest to chest. Then he leaned in, kissing the other male softly on the lips.

It wasn't the most extravagant or lingering kiss, but it was perfect, Holden pressing his lips in response against Sean's before they parted, foreheads pressed together. It was what they did every night in bed, like a final 'I love you' before either or them fell asleep.

"I'm so glad this went well." Sean said as Holden curled against him, head nestling into the football player's chest.

"You have no idea." Holden replied, and the soft rumble of Sean's chuckling in his chest was the last thing Holden remembered before drifting to sleep.

The following morning, Sean and Holden ate breakfast and then prepared to leave. They stood in the entryway, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson exchanging goodbyes between them. She pulled Holden into a powerful hug, and he felt her sniffling.

"I…I never thought anyone would come into Sean's life. I'm…I'm just so thankful that my son can be happy." She said softly in his ear, tears wetting his shoulder.

"Oh, don't cry. I'm as lucky as he is." Holden replied as she pulled away, touching her arm gently with a smile.

Then, he turned to Sean's dad as Sean said goodbye to his mom.

"You know, I never thought anyone would be good enough for my son. I thought he was this perfect guy, the only one out there, and I had my mind made up that I'd have to be satisfied with whoever he brought home, because he's my son. But you, Son…you're the only exception."

Holden smiled larger then he was trying to and hugged the older man firmly, more lingering then their original embrace. Then, he pulled back and after a few more muttered goodbyes and see you soons, Sean and Holden were seated in the Hummer.

However, before Sean started the engine, he turned to Holden with a big grin on his face, the one he got from his dad.

"What?" Holden asked.

"I just love you so much." Sean replied, and Holden knew he was holding back tears.

Holden leaned across the space between them, and kissed him powerfully, hands holding the football player's face. He pulled back and smiled.

"I just love you so much too." He replied.


End file.
